pluto-test-framework - Google Code: "Though there many powerful tools for creating PL/SQL code, there are limited tools and frameworks for properly testing that code. The PL/SQL Unit Testing for Oracle framework, PLUTO, is the open source, object oriented, xUnit-based system for developing unit tests that attempts to fill the gap in Oracle unit testing."

Back in the days when systems programmers still disdained 'high level languages' there were stories in the compiler community, passed mouth to ear about LIL, a high level assembler, whose creator, had a friendly competition with the creators of C, as to which language could generate more efficient code. Each time LIL edged out C, the C compiler would be improved, and erase LIL's margin of advantage.

A unique element to the LIL saga, is that LIL's creator documented the story, available here (thanks to a copy provided by the author);"

WarGames: A Look Back at the Film That Turned Geeks and Phreaks Into Stars: "It was the year Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an 'evil empire'; the year the United Nations implored the Russians to withdraw from Afghanistan; the year ABC aired The Day After, a TV movie about the wake of a nuclear attack on the US. In the midst of all this came WarGames, a fizzy little thriller about looming Armageddon."

Portals - WSJ.com: "They help make cooking -- baking especially -- a snap. Stick a bowl on the scale, add the flour you need, reset the scale to zero, add your sugar, and so on. You can work through most ingredients like this in a single bowl, quickly, to a high degree of accuracy and without having a lot of measuring cups to wash up when you're done."

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie - NYTimes.com: "To put the technique to the test, one batch of the cookie dough recipe given here was allowed to rest in the refrigerator. After 12, 24, and 36 hours, a portion was baked, each time on the same sheet pan, lined with the same nonstick sheet in the same oven at the same temperature."

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Protocol Buffers - Google Code: "Protocol buffers are Google's language-neutral, platform-neutral, extensible mechanism for serializing structured data – think XML, but smaller, faster, and simpler. You define how you want your data to be structured once, then you can use special generated source code to easily write and read your structured data to and from a variety of data streams and using a variety of languages – Java, C , or Python."

How to Edit: "Walter Murch, editor of great films like The Godfather III, and Apocalypse Now, wrote a wonderful and very informative text called The Blink of an Eye. He discusses his experience in editing, and gives great advice for aspiring editors. My favorite chapter out of the text, “The Rule of Six,” lays out a set of criteria that Murch believes should be at the top of an editors list when working.

1. You'll need to get setuptools, and the easiest way to do that is with EasyInstall (see http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/EasyInstall). You'll download the ez_setup.py file, and just run: python ez_setup.py.

2. Download PyOpenGL from their download page. (Side Note: I also grabbed the OpenGLContext). Now, once you untar/unzip it, you should have a PyOpenGL/ directory. Just open a Terminal, cd into that directory, and run python setup.py build. Once that is finished, run python setup.py install

43 Folders: "Video featuring terrific advice from This American Life’s Ira Glass on having the tenacity to get better at the creative work you’re passionate about — even through the times when you know what you’re making isn’t as good as you’d like."

Computerworld - The A-Z of Programming Languages: Forth:"In this article we chat to Charles H. Moore about the design and development of Forth. Moore invented Forth while at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory to help control radio telescopes and data-collection/reduction systems."

Woods currently works at Google, following the company's recent acquisition of Postini, and he is best known for co-writing the original Adventure game with Will Crowther. He also co-authored The Hackers Dictionary. Here we chat to him about all things spoof and the virtues of tonsils as removable organs."

Why Fly When You Can Float? - NYTimes.com: "As the cost of fuel soars and the pressure mounts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several schemes for a new generation of airship are being considered by governments and private companies. “It’s a romantic project,” said Mr. Massaud, 45, sitting amid furniture designs in his Paris studio, “but then look at Jules Verne.”"

Pipecleaner Dance III : davidbessler.com: "Instructions: Click on a round button to start some tunes. Then use the keyboard, or mouse-over the keyboard on the screen to dance. Use the round “x” button to stop the music."

All Sessions 2008 (3D Basecamp 2008): "The following is a list of sessions that were presented at Google SketchUp 3D Basecamp 2008. The event was held on Google's Mountain View campus from June 11th to the 13th, 2008."

Ole Jacobsen edited ConneXions during these years, and for a time servedalso as publisher. He may be reached at Cisco Systems SJ-7/3; 170 WestTasman Drive; San Jose CA 95134-1706 . Hepresently edits the Internet Protocol Journal ."

Introduction - The Internet Protocol Journal - Cisco Systems: "This journal is not intended to promote any specific products or services, but rather is intended to serve as an informational and educational resource for engineering professionals involved in the design, development, and operation of public and private internets and intranets. The journal carries tutorial articles ('What is...?') as well as implementation/operation articles ('How to...'). It provides readers with technology and standardization updates for all levels of the protocol stack and serves as a forum for discussion of all aspects of internetworking."

How To Hide An Airplane Factory: "During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hidethe Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from being atarget for a Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflagenetting and to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air..."

Sound & Vision Magazine - The Netflix Queue: How's it Work?: "This got us wondering: Exactly how does their whole DVD queue system work? How does the Netflix master-cylinder determine whether you'll get a new release first or last; whether you'll get the 'long wait' movie at the top of your want-list next or the 'short wait' flick at the bottom?

We asked the people at Netflix how they really determine who gets that popular flick first, how they anticipate demand, and why they eliminated the household peace-preserving Profiles feature. They took a moment to 'queue us in.'"

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

VMware: Team Fusion: Replacing those blurry icons!: "Today, we're discussing an issue, where when using VMware Fusion to run Windows on Mac, in Unity mode, the icons for Windows applications show up blurry. A helpful anonymous user already posted a solution for this on macosxhints.com, but we wanted to highlight it here and provide a bit more background."

mozdev.org - surfkeys: index: "Why is a mouse good for web surfing? Because it is easy to use with just one hand while the other is doing something else, or just taking rest. Why is it bad? Too many reasons..

SurfKeys is a project that aims to make comfortable surfing possible with just one hand using just keyboard. It is intended to use with Hit-a-Hint extension."

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The 11 Best Foods You Arent Eating - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog: "Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice."